Secret Service took more than a year to fix broken alarm at former President George H.W. Bush’s home: government report

The Houston home of former President George H.W. Bush, seen here in 2013 at the White House, was without an alarm system for 13 months, according to new report. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)

The Secret Service took 13 months to fix the broken house alarm at former President George W.H. Bush's residence in Houston, according to a government report released Thursday.

Agents requested first requested a new alarm in 2010, but the request was denied. By September 2013, the security system was not working, and it took more than a year for it to be fixed, noted a review by Inspector General John Roth of the Homeland Security Department.

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The Security Service patrolled the Texas home and used surveillance cameras to monitor the residence while the alarm was down, the report said.

"This adds to the growing list of significant concerns Congress has had with the management of the Secret Service," said House Oversight Committee chair Jason Chaffetz, a Republican from Utah.

Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings agreed.

Barbara and I have great respect for, and confidence in, the men and women of @SecretService. That respect and confidence has never waned.

"It is imperative that Director (Joseph) Clancy act swiftly on a host of fronts to restore the American people's confidence in this agency," he said.

The former president posted a note on his Twitter account Thursday saying he had great regard for the Secret Service and "that respect and confidence has never waned."

The review expressed concern for other homes owned by former presidents, but their names were redacted from the public version of the document.

The Bush's primary home is in Kennebunkport, Maine. Security there has had no interruptions, the report said.

The Secret Service, charged with protecting the current president and his predecessors, has suffered several public embarrassments of late, including a man who landed a gyrocopter near the White House last week and a September incident in which a man armed with a knife was able to climb the mansion's fence and enter the guarded residence.